Expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning and the proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1603 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1603

 Expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning and the 
proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 1, 2026

  Mr. Raskin (for himself, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Brown, Ms. 
 Brownley, Mr. Carson, Mr. Castro of Texas, Ms. Chu, Ms. Clarke of New 
York, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Costa, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. 
  Dean of Pennsylvania, Ms. DelBene, Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Dexter, Ms. 
 Escobar, Ms. Elfreth, Mr. Espaillat, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mrs. 
Foushee, Mr. Frost, Mr. Garcia of California, Mr. Goldman of New York, 
   Mrs. Grijalva, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Ivey, Mr. Jackson of 
 Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Ms. Kamlager-
     Dove, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Ms. Lee of 
 Pennsylvania, Ms. Leger Fernandez, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. McIver, 
Mrs. McClain Delaney, Ms. McCollum, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Meng, Mr. Mfume, 
  Mr. Moulton, Mr. Mullin, Ms. Norton, Mr. Peters, Ms. Pettersen, Ms. 
    Pingree, Mr. Pocan, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Salinas, Ms. Scanlon, Ms. 
   Schakowsky, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Simon, Ms. Stansbury, Mr. Takano, Mr. 
 Thanedar, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Veasey, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. 
Williams of Georgia, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and 
 in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing concern about the growing problem of book banning and the 
proliferation of threats to freedom of expression in the United States.

Whereas, in 1969, the Supreme Court of the United States held in Tinker v. Des 
        Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969), that 
        students do not ``shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech 
        or expression at the schoolhouse gate'';
Whereas, in 1982, a plurality of the Supreme Court of the United States wrote in 
        Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District No. 26 v. 
        Pico, 457 U.S. 853 (1982), that schools may not remove library books 
        based on ``narrowly partisan or political grounds'', as this kind of 
        censorship will result in ``official suppression of ideas'';
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States protects 
        freedom of speech and the freedom to read and write;
Whereas Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that 
        ``everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this 
        right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to 
        seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and 
        regardless of frontiers'';
Whereas PEN America has identified more than 12,000 instances of individual 
        books banned between July 2025 and June 2026;
Whereas books banned between July 2025 and June 2026 affected more than 7,000 
        unique titles, censoring the works of more than 4,000 authors, 
        illustrators, and translators;
Whereas the majority of book bans were enacted without following the best 
        practice guidelines for book challenges outlined by the American Library 
        Association, the National Coalition Against Censorship, and the National 
        Council of Teachers of English;
Whereas the unimpeded sharing of ideas and the freedom to read are essential to 
        a strong democracy;
Whereas books do not require readers to agree with topics, themes, or viewpoints 
        but instead allow readers to explore and engage with differing 
        perspectives to form and inform their own views;
Whereas suppressing the freedom to read and denying access to literature, 
        history, and knowledge are repressive and antidemocratic tactics used by 
        authoritarian regimes against their people;
Whereas book bans violate the rights of students, families, residents, and 
        citizens based on the political, ideological, and cultural preferences 
        of the specific individuals imposing the bans;
Whereas book bans have multifaceted, harmful consequences on--

    (1) students, who have a right to access a diverse range of stories and 
perspectives, especially students from historically marginalized 
backgrounds whose communities are often targeted by thought control 
measures;

    (2) educators and librarians, who are operating in some States in an 
increasingly punitive and surveillance- oriented environment and experience 
a chilling effect in their work;

    (3) authors whose works are targeted and suppressed;

    (4) parents who want their children to attend public schools that 
remain open to curiosity, discovery, and the freedom to read; and

    (5) community members who want free access to a range of uncensored 
information and knowledge from their public libraries;

Whereas classic and award-winning literature and books that have been part of 
        school curricula for decades have been challenged, removed from 
        libraries pending review, or outright banned from schools, including--

    (1) ``Brave New World'' by Aldous Huxley;

    (2) ``The Handmaid's Tale'' by Margaret Atwood;

    (3) ``Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation'' adapted by Ari 
Folman;

    (4) ``Their Eyes Were Watching God'' by Zora Neal Hurston; and

    (5) ``To Kill a Mockingbird'' by Harper Lee;

Whereas books, particularly those written by and about outsiders, newcomers, and 
        individuals from marginalized backgrounds, are facing a heightened risk 
        of being banned;
Whereas, according to PEN America, a disproportionate number of books banned or 
        otherwise restricted in the United States have LGBTQ+ characters or 
        themes that recognize the equal humanity and dignity of all individuals 
        despite differences, including--

    (1) ``And Tango Makes Three'' by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell; 
and

    (2) ``This Book Is Gay'' by Juno Dawson;

Whereas many books, both fiction and nonfiction, that have been targeted for 
        bans or restrictions in the United States are books about race, racism, 
        or feature characters of color, including--

    (1) ``The Story of Ruby Bridges'' by Robert Coles and illustrated by 
George Ford;

    (2) ``Letter from Birmingham Jail'' by Martin Luther King, Jr.;

    (3) ``Thank You, Jackie Robinson'' by Barbara Cohen;

    (4) ``Malala: A Hero For All'' by Shana Corey;

    (5) ``Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story'' by Kevin Noble 
Maillard;

    (6) ``Hair Love'' by Matthew A. Cherry;

    (7) ``Good Trouble: Lessons From the Civil Rights Playbook'' by 
Christopher Noxon; and

    (8) ``We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
in Pictures'';

Whereas the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has reported a dramatic surge in 
        challenges at libraries and schools to the inclusion of graphic novels 
        that depict the diversity of civic life in the United States and the 
        painful and complex history of racism, homophobia, anti-Asian bias and 
        antisemitism embedded in the human experience, including--

    (1) ``Maus'' by Art Spiegelman;

    (2) ``New Kid'' by Jerry Craft;

    (3) ``Drama'' by Raina Telgemeier; and

    (4) ``American Born Chinese'' by Gene Luen Yang;

Whereas books addressing death, grief, mental illness, and suicide are targeted 
        alongside nonfiction books that discuss feelings and emotions written 
        for teenage and young adult audiences that frequently confront these 
        topics;
Whereas during congressional hearings on April 7, 2022, May 19, 2022, and 
        September 12, 2023, students, parents, teachers, librarians, and school 
        administrators testified to the chilling and fear-spreading effects that 
        book bans have on education and the school environment;
Whereas, since 2021, State legislation censoring certain content within schools 
        and libraries has been enacted across the country, resulting in more 
        than 30,000 book bans;
Whereas an increasing amount of book censorship goes unreported and may be 
        higher than is able to be reported, due to mass removals implementing 
        vaguely-written State legislation and a lack of transparency about 
        district-based removals;
Whereas, according to PEN America, from July 2025 to June 2026, 24 States across 
        the country limited access to certain books for limited or indefinite 
        periods of time, including--

    (1) Texas, where at least 8,000 books in total have been banned or 
restricted in 45 school districts;

    (2) Florida, where at least 3,000 books in total have been banned or 
restricted in 35 school districts;

    (3) Ohio, where at least 115 books in total have been banned or 
restricted in one school district;

    (4) Utah, where at least 100 books in total have been banned or 
restricted in 5 school districts; and

    (5) Michigan, where at least 65 books in total have been banned or 
restricted in 2 school districts;

Whereas the President of the United States has repeatedly expressed public 
        support for the censorship of certain subjects, through public 
        statements and Executive orders, including gender, sexuality, and race;
Whereas, following these Executive orders in 2025, Department of Defense 
        Education Activity (DoDEA) schools removed books related to diversity, 
        equity, and inclusion, ``gender ideology,'' and anything that would 
        suggest ``that America's founding documents are racist or sexist,'' 
        resulting in the censorship of classroom instruction, student 
        activities, and removal of at least 596 books in DoDEA schools;
Whereas, following these same Executive orders, the Department of Defense 
        directed all military academies to identify and remove books from their 
        libraries that deal with issues such as race, ``gender ideology'', and 
        other ``divisive concepts'' that the Administration considers 
        ``incompatible with the department's core mission'' and led to the 
        temporary removal of nearly 400 books from the U.S. Naval Academy's 
        Nimitz Library, including ``I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings'' by Maya 
        Angelou;
Whereas grants administered by the National Endowment for the Arts, and National 
        Endowment for the Humanities and other Federal agencies have been 
        terminated or revoked for using language related to race, gender, and 
        LGBTQ+ identity or addressing social inequality;
Whereas the President of the United States has further signed Executive orders 
        targeting the Smithsonian, an independent Federal trust instrumentality 
        of the United States which has served as a global model for scholarship 
        and public engagement documenting America's full and complex history, 
        for promoting ``improper ideology''; and
Whereas the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has claimed book 
        bans are a ``hoax'', ended investigations of alleged discrimination 
        related to book banning, and fired the staffer in charge of addressing 
        the book banning crisis: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses concern about the spreading problem of book 
        banning and the proliferating threats to freedom of expression 
        in the United States;
            (2) reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        supporting the freedom of expression of writers that is 
        protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution and the 
        freedom of all individuals in the United States to read books 
        without government censorship;
            (3) calls on local governments and school districts to 
        follow best practice guidelines when addressing challenges to 
        books;
            (4) calls on local governments and school districts to 
        protect the rights of students to learn and the ability of 
        educators and librarians to teach, including by providing 
        students with the opportunity to read a wide array of books 
        reflecting the full breadth and diversity of viewpoints and 
        perspectives; and
            (5) calls for the repeal of Executive orders and rescission 
        of directives that have enacted content-based restrictions on 
        the freedom to read and learn in United States public schools.
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